Separable fastener



Jan. 3, 1933. GfsuNDBAcK V ,1,893,379 y SEPARABLE FASTENER l OriginalFiled F915'. 11, 1925 ZZ Y Y Jl/ENTOR.

' ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE GIDEONSUNDBACK, 0F MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, l.ASSIGrNOR T0 HOOKLESS FASTENERCOMPANY, OF MEADV'ILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENN- SYLVANIASEPABABLE FASTENEB Original application med February 11, 1925, SerialNo. 8,340. FDivided and this application led March 31, 1928. Serial No.266,362.

eral flexibility together with the ability to compensate for a variationin the length of the fabric stringers to which the interlocking meansare attached, yet is secure, strong, an

capable of being made cheaply in large quanf titles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction ofoppositely interlocking members having increased factors of strength,security, iiexibility and ease in locking and unlocking.

The fastener shown in my Patent 1,219,881, dated March 20, 1917,embodies continuous fabric stringers carrying locking members alike oneach Stringer, but in alternating or stagtgered arrangement, wherebyinterlocking is e ected by the engagement of each member on one Stringerwith two members on the other Stringer. As specially worked out in thatpatent, such fastener has a very considerable lateral iiexibility, butlittle or no accommodation to variation in Stringer length owing to theclose alternating engagement of -the several locking members. It isknown that continuous fabric stringers fluctuate considerably in lengthowing to humidity conditions, a Stringer when wet being appreciablylonger than when dry. Hence, longitudinal contraction when drying causesthe alternatelyinterlocked stringers to wave or curl up out of theinterlocking plane, which, while not impairing the security ofthefastener, is

objectionable in appearance on various artic es, articularly on rubberfootwear which is subjected to extremes of moisture condi-' In thepresent invention, I have provided A a novel construction of cooperatinglocking members arranged directly opposite one another along a pair offlexible fabric stringers, with any desired spacing between the membersyalong each Stringer. One of each pair of cooperating locking members isprovided with a projection and the other with a recess so constructedthat they will engage and disengage even though they are somewhat out ofalignment due to shrinkage or expansion of the stringers. There is alsosufficient flexibility between the interlockd members to compensate forshrinkage or expansion of the stringers thereby reducing the tendency towave or curl which has heretofore proved objectionable. To facilitateengagement of the projection of one locking member with the recess ofanother, guiding surfaces are preferably provided longitudinally andtransversely of the tip of the projection.

According to al specific feature of the invention, one member of eachinterlocking pair has a pin or lip, and the other member of the pair acooperating socket. The pin is substantially straight, and projectslongitudinally of the Stringer with at least the surface of the pinadjacent the edge of its Stringer parallel to such edge. The cooperatingsockets have walls which are parallel tothe edge of the-Stringer. When apin of one locking member is seated in the socket of its cooperatingvlocking member, and a transverse force is applied to the stringers in anattempt to separatethem, Ythere will be no resulting component of forcetending to move the pins longitudinally out of the sockets lby reason ofthe parallel engagement `of socket walls and pin surfaces. Thecooperating locking members will thus remain securely locked togetherand can only be separated vby the progressive movement of the slider.

Inthe accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 is,` a plan view of a separablefastener embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2a-2a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3is an enlarged end view of on-e of the projection members shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the member shown in Fig. 3, showing the.socket'in such member' Fig. 5 is a side View of the member shown inFigs. 3 and 4;

5 Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a section of a fastener having the sametype of locking members as shown in Fig. 1 except that they are arrangedalternately on the stringers;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the recess member shown inFig. 1 clamped to the corded edge of the Stringer; and showing the pinor lip therein;

Fig. 8 is an' enlarged transverse section through the recess androjection members when interlocked, showing the pin or lip of one memberseated in the socket of the other;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a modiiied form of sheet metallockingmem- 0 ber; and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective View of still another 4form of sheetmetal locking member.

In Fig. 1, the flexible stringers 1 are pro- 5 vided with cords 2secured along their longitudinal edges. The projection locking members 3are clamped to the corded edge of one Stringer, and the cooperatingrecessed locking members 4 are lclamped to the corded o edge of theopposite Stringer. These locking members are disposed substantiallyopposite one another on said stringers and are arranged to be engagedand disengaged by the up and down movement of a slider 5 havingdiverging channels. The slider may be moved up and down along thestringers by means o-a pivoted pull member 6.

The upper ends of the two stringers are provided with stop members 7which are clamped to the corded edges of the stringers and' which arelarge enough to wedge laterally within the slider against each other oragainst the slider channels to limit the movement of the slider. Abottom stop member 8 is shown clam ed to the corded edges at the lowerends ofthef'stringers to fasten the lower ends together and prevent theslider from coming off the fastener when it reaches the lower limito-its travel.

in detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, are stamped out of round material whichis bent back on itself at 9 and 'bent together along thel line 10. Thefree outer ends are spread at 11 to form 5 clamping jaws for engagingthe corded edge f of the Stringer. One side of the bend or fold isstamped to provide a socket 12 and an outer catch or hook por-tion I3.The socket 12 is adapted to be seated in the pin or lip 14 of thecooperating recessed member 4 with Jthe hook portion 13 engaging therear side of the pin 14 in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The wallsof the socket 12 are substantially straight, with the wall ad- 5 jacentthe hook portion 13 parallel to the The projection locking members 3,shownl edge of the stringer to which the member 3 is clamped.

The recessed locking members 4, shown in detail in Fig. 7 are providedwith clamping jaws 15 for clamping same to the corded edge of thestringer. The. forward end of each member 4 is bent to provide atube-like portion 16 which is open ended to provide an edgewise recess17. One Wall of the recess 17 1s rounded whilethe opposite wall issubstantially flat, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7 The straight pin or lip 14projects into the recess 17 trom the flat wall thereof and extendstoward the rounded wall in a plane substantially parallel to the edge ofthe Stringer, as shown in Fig. 7 z The free end of the pin or lip 14 issubstantially lla-t to cooperate with the flat wall of the socket 12.

The projection members 3, whch are formed of rounded stock, are eachprovided with guiding surfaces 18 and 1'9 above and below the tip of theprojection, and also laterally or transversely thereof, so that saidprojection member has guiding surfaces to facilitate its cooperationwith the recessed member 4 when the project-ion is slightly out of linewith the recess in any direction due to shrinkage or expansion of thestringers. In Fig. 6 the same type of locking members are shown, but theprojection and recessed membersare alternately arranged on each stringerinstead of all members being alike on one Stringer as in Fig. 1. Whenthe slider 5 is moved to engage the opposite locking members the idingsurface 19 of each projection mem er rides over the .pin 14 of itscooperating'recessed member until the socket 12 engages said pin 14 asshown in Figs. 2 and 48.

The engagement between the socket 12 and the pin 14 prevents the lockingmembers froml gages the wall of the socket 12 which is also Y parallelto the edges of the stringers, a transverse force perpendicular to theedges ofthe stringers will not cause them to movel away from each otherin a longitudinal direction and hence the members will not come apartaccidentally when locked.

The open-sided locking member shown in Fig. 9 consists of a strip ofsheet metal bent to provide substantially parallel faces 2O connected bya bridging portion 21. A slot 22 is cut in the bridging prtion 21 toprovide compressible jaws for clamping the member to the corded edge ofaStringer. The pin o r lip 23 is struck up at the free end o f one of thefaces 20 to receive and retain the socket 12 of an opposite projectionmember 3. The side of the pin 23 which is adj acent-"the corded edge ofthe Stringer is parallel to such edge.-

of 'stringers havin ment of a cooperating projection member 3 therein,so that the cooperating recessed member and projection member will notcome apart when locked except when they are separated at an angle by thediverging channels of the slider.

Fig. l0 shows another form of sheet metal locking member having spacedpairs of clamping jaws 25 joined by the bridgng portion 26 in which isstamped the recess 27 for receiving a projection member such as thatshown in Fig. l, the lip 28 being stamped out from the material cut informing the recess 27. The pin orlip 28 engages the socket of thecooperating projection member inthemanner described above.

Among the advantages of this invention may bementioned increasedflexibility of the fastener both laterally and longitudinally. Since thelocking members are located opposite each other they may be spaced aparta suilicient distance to give the fastener great lateral flexibilitywithout causing the members to become unfastened. This spacing of thepairs of oppositely disposed'locking members also permits contractionand expansion of the strmger material such as occurs when the fasteneris used on Washable goods, for exam le, which get Wet and shrink ondrying. xlVhen used on a shoe, for example, the longitudinal spacing ofthe pairs of cooperating locking members enables the fastener to comeand go `with the natural movement of the foot in walking without causingthe fastener to buckle or feel unduly stiff. The provision ofcooperating pins and sockets with surfaces parallel to the edges of thestringers revents the members from coming apart un er strain wheninterlocked. The provision of guiding surfaces longitudinally andtransversely of the tip of each projection facilitates entry of theprojections within the recesses of the opposite locking members.

I claim:

1. A separable fastener comprising a pair o' a'plurality of pairs oflocking members clamped substantially opposite one another thereon, onemember of each pair having a recess and a pin projecting into saidrecess, and the other member of each pair having a socket adapted toentersaid recess and engage said pin.

2. A separable fastener comprising a pair of stringers having aplurality of pairs of cooperating locking members clamped substantiallyopposite one another thereon, one member of each pair having a roundedprojection and the other member of each pair having a rounded wall andanopposite fiat wall to receive said projection between them, and aportion on said flat Wall extending toward said rounded wall to engagesaid projection.

, 3. A separable fastener comprising a pair of stringers, a plurality ofpairs of cooperating locking members clamped substantially opposite oneanother on the adjacent edges of said stringers, l one member of eachpair having a recess in a plane substantially perpendicular to the edgeof its strlnger and a pin projecting into said recess substantiallyparallel to theedge of saidstringer, and the other member of each pairhaving a socket adapted to enter said recess and engage said pm.

4. A separable fastener comprising a pair of stringere, a plurality ofpairs of cooperating locking opposite one another on the adjacent edgesof said stringers, one member of each pair having a projection extendingstraight out from one Stringer and the other member of each pair havinga tubular portion extending straight out from the other Stringer and atright angles to the edge of said Stringer to receive said projection.

5. A separable fastener comprising a pair of stringers, a plurality ofpairs of cooperatinglocking members clamped substantially j opposite oneanother on the adjacent edges of said strin ers, one member of each pairhaving a ooked projection extending straight out from one stringer andthe other member of each pair having a tubular portion extendingstraight out from the other Stringer and at right angles to the edge ofsaid Stringer to receive said projection, and a lip projectin into saidtubular portion to engagethe hooed portion of said projection to preventsaid lockfng members from separating under transverse strain whenengaged.

6. 'A separable fastener comprisinga pair of stringers, a plurality ofpairs of cooperating locking members clamped substantially opposite oneanother on the adjacent edges of said stringers, one member of each pairhaving a rounded projection and a hook portion vset in from the end ofsaid projection, and the other member of each pair having a rounded walland an opposite -iiat wall to receive said projection between them, anda lip on sa'd flat wall substantially parallel to the edge oftheStringer to engage the hook portion vof said projection.-

7. A locking member for a slide type fastener comprising a strip ofmaterial bent upon itself and having clamping jaws formed in each of theends of said material, a part of the bent portion of said member beingpunched out to form an irregular recess with a projection extending intosaid recess to enn members clamped vsubstantially ioo 9. A lockingmember for a slide type fastener com rislng a ilat strip of materialbent upon itse f 'in the middle and having outwardly extending endsadapted to receive a projection of a cooperating locking member betweenthem, a lip on one end of said member projecting toward the other endthereof to engage and retain the projection of the cooperating lockingmember therein, and compressible clamping jaws formed in said member atthe bend.

. vided with a projecting lip to retain such projection between saidends, and compressible clamping jaws -formed in said member at the end.

11- Aseparable fastener comprising a pair of flexible stringers, aseries of spaced locking members carried by'each stringer, each of saidlocking members being ixedly attached at one end to its; Stringer, thefree ends of the members of one series being adapted to enter themembers of the other series, certain of said members having sockets withflat walls and the members cooperating therewith each having a pin withits free end substantially flat for engagement with a wall of a socket.

12. A fastener of the class described comprising a pair of flexiblestringers, a series of fastener elements mounted on each Stringer, eachelement of `each series being rigidly attached at one end to itsrespective Stringer, the free ends of said elements being adapted tooverlap, each element of one series having a socket provided with a Walldisposed parallel to the edge of the Stringer, and a pin projecting fromeach fastener ele- `ment of the other series, said pins being adaptedtoenter the sockets in the elements of the first series, each pinhavinga surface parallel to the edge of the Stringer adapted to engage theaforesaid wall of the corre sponding socket whereby positively to resistseparation of said elements.

1.3. A astener'of the class describedcomprising a pair of stringere eachcarrying a series of spaced fastener elements, an element of one seriescooperating with an element of the opposed series to form aninterlocking pair, each element of each series being provided at one endwith means for rigid- C5 the socket of the other ly attaching it to theedge of its Stringer, the Y other or free ends of the elements of suchan interlocking pair normally overlapping, the free end of one elementof such pair being provided with a socket, and a pin projecting from thefree end of the other element of said pair, said pin normallyttingwithin element, the opposed surfaces of the engaging pin and socketbeing so: shaped that separating stress applied in a directionperpendicular to the edges of the stringers is devoid of any componenttending to withdraw the pin endwise from its socket.

14. AQfastener of the class described, comprisingopposed series ofspaced fastener elements, the elements of the respective series eachbeing rigidly attached at one end. thereof to flexible strlngers, theother ends of said elements projecting free from the Stringer edgesubstantially in lateral alignment with said attaching ends and certainof said elements having sockets in their free ends each provided with asubstantially straight Wall and others of said elements having pins ontheir free ends engageable with said sockets, that I surface of each pinadjacent to the edge of the Stringer being substantially straight andparallel to said e ge.

Signed at Meadville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvaniathis 26th vday of March, A. D. 1928. f

GIDEON SAUNDBACK.

` CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

- Patent No. 1,893,319. l 4January '3, 1933,

p t GIDlioN sUNDBAeK. .It is hereby' certified that *error appears inthe printed specification of the a ve numbercdpatent requiringcorrection as follows: Page 4, line 2l, claim l0, tor "end rendv"ben'd";`l and that the said Letters Patent should berend with thiscorrection therein that the s ame may conform` tothe record of the casein the'Pat'enf Qffice.

sigmd'anirmleq thiszsth day of February, A. D. y193,2;

` y' M. ).Mooe, (Seal) 'Acting Commissioner of Patents.

